The Tech Report - Improving the PC as a gaming platform: the hardware.The new spec would clearly involve some compromises, since you can't simply step up and demand that every new computer feature a Radeon 7970, 32GB of RAM, and a six-core CPU with Hyperthingamabobs. However, let's take a page from our own System Guide's Econobox. MPC-HD could set the bar at, say, a Radeon 7770 graphics card ($120 or so) and a Core i3-3220 processor (around $130). Those components provide solid gaming performance at 1080p in the vast majority of titles, even with anti-aliasing enabled. They would be a perfectly reasonable baseline to aim for—one that provides many times the horsepower of current-generations consoles.

Setting a baseline would make life easier for developers, as well. Let's imagine MPC-HD has multiple levels, and when publishing your game, you can simply state that the minimum requirement is MPC-HD Level 1. That's easy for developers to code for, easy for buyers to follow, and easy for manufacturers to advertise and profit from. One can only wish.

I got together last night with some buddies to close out the year with a little carousing. Of course things got out of hand quickly, and we had a hefty tab to refill the bars we cleaned out and repair the windows we kept throwing bikers through, but what can you do? As the old saying goes, you can't make an omelet without killing a few chefs. Here's hoping your end-of-year celebrations are equally exaggerated. :)